A dream where you’re in a car accident can be absolutely terrifying, and you may have to take a few moments to remember that your dream isn’t real.
Once you’ve convinced your heart to take it easy, and your mind that you’re still in bed, and you’re safe, your thoughts will inevitably turn to why you’re dreaming of such a nightmare.
Well, a dream of a car crash is a message to appreciate every moment for what it is, and not to dismiss the good things in life, but there is a little more to it than that.
Let’s take a look.
Why Am I Dreaming Of A Car Accident?
There are a few reasons why you might be dreaming of a car crash, so let’s take a look.
Issues Of Control
As a dream symbol, the car represents your control over your life. For example, dreaming of being in the passenger seat, or the backseat denotes issues with other people being in the ‘driver’s seat’ of your life.
When it comes to a dream of a car (see also article on dreaming about a stolen car) accident, this reflects how you feel life is spinning out of your control entirely. This may be in terms of your personal life, where bad luck has befallen you, or in your work life, where things haven’t turned out how you hoped.
Conflicting emotions are represented by the chaos of the crash, as well as anyone in your dream who was distressed or angry. Dreams like this are an outlet for your current frustrations, or future anxieties.
Anxiety
Car crash dreams are common for those who overthink the slightest details, and watch for any signs that things may not go as they want.
While worrying about things can distract you from the important things in life, it’s also worth remembering that this worry is a demonstration of exactly how much you care.
Often, a dream of a car accident embodies a fear that you haven’t moved on from, though the situation that created it is long over.
These dreams are a way of exploring your fears in a safe place, and if they do come true in waking life, you’ll feel they are easier to deal with than you first thought.
Regret
Sometimes a split second decision is all it takes to make a mistake, and there’s no time to think about the outcome, just like a car accident.
Car crash dreams embody regrets, specifically those you have not thought through or couldn’t see coming. Sometimes life throws things at us and there’s no right answer.
Your dream may urge you to push past your embarrassment and regret, and focus on what you can change, rather than what you can’t.
Arguments Or Conflict
Car accident dreams are also linked to arguments with the people you love. It symbolizes the uncertainty of the rockiness of your relationship, as well as the emotional turmoil involved.
Think of a minor car accident where both drivers get out and immediately argue who was to blame. This dream may draw your attention not to who should blame who, but why you might be best letting this argument go entirely.
It may be worth apologizing even if it wasn’t your fault, allowing both of you to move on before the conflict gets messier.
Dreaming of being in the passenger seat with your other half driving and then crashing the car is not a good sign for your relationship. It may reflect current disagreements, miscommunication, or your relationship taking over other parts of your life.
Your Life Path
Car journeys, driving, and roads in general are linked to your life’s journey, and just how well you think things are going.
So when a car crash happens in your dream, this refers to times when things haven’t gone to plan, those unexpected complications that serve to trip you up.
Your dream may be emphasizing how things often turn out wildly different from how we plan them, stressing that there’s no need to try and control everything, as this is an impossibility.
If you dream that a car accident takes your car from the road, this implies that you should look at your life as a whole. What you want and what you need might be two entirely different things.
How To Interpret Nightmares
Nightmares are always a horrible experience, and the only real way to dispel their power over you is to understand why you’re dreaming of such upsetting experiences.
Car crash dreams, for example, are harrowing experiences, their only consolation being that they’re not real. Nevertheless, they can affect the rest of your day, so if you can find the cause behind your nightmare, you’re on your way to removing its power over you.
Negative dreams are usually a sign that your life right now is full of worry or uncertainty, or there’s a single fear or thought that you’re reluctant to face.
If you have recurring nightmares, such as car crash dreams, you may feel a lack of control over your waking life, and this is bleeding into your dreams. Perhaps you’re in the middle of a series of obstacles, and you can’t find your way out.
These dreams repeating also indicate that you need to work on processing your fears, and overcoming them. This won’t be an easy journey, but it will certainly pay off if you keep at it.
Common Car Accident Dreams And Symbolism
The details of the car crash in your dream can completely change the meaning behind your dream, so look out for them.
Here are just a few different ways car crashes might appear in your dream, and what they mean.
Dreaming Of Your Car Hitting Another Car
A dream where you crash into someone else’s car suggests that your perspective on life is being challenged.
Perhaps it’s not enough as it is, and you need to look for a deeper meaning or purpose in your life. Maybe a hobby or career you’ve set your sights on as a life goal isn’t achievable right now.
A dream where your car crashes into another car can also suggest an entirely new direction in your life.
Preventing A Car Crash In Your Dream
A dream where you manage to prevent a car crash entirely is a very positive sign. In the dream, you might swerve away from something in the road like a deer, or you slam on the brakes just in time.
A dream where you avoid a car accident mirrors waking life, where you’ve avoided a terrible situation, either consciously or by chance.
This may be something as simple as trying to improve your own health, letting go of negativity and bad habits, or letting someone know that they are loved at just the right time they need to hear it.
Hitting A Tree In Your Dream
A tree in your dream points to your spiritual knowledge, as well as how ‘awake’ you feel in waking life. It points to wisdom, relatability, and grounding.
So crashing a car into a tree in your dream reveals a discord in your spiritual path, or feeling numb to the events in waking life.
A dream like this can reflect an immovable obstacle in the path of a life goal. You need to adjust your approach, or your dreams as necessary, otherwise you might never move on.
This dream may also imply that you feel cut off from other people, or you cannot relate to something a loved one is going through.
Sometimes, a dream of hitting a tree with your car can point to an abrupt end to something you value, such as a fulfilling career or close relationship.
Dreaming Of Crashing Into Water
If you dream of a car accident where your car ends up sinking into a lake or an ocean (see also article titled ‘Dreaming Of Big Waves Meaning And Interpretation‘), this symbolizes how you’re letting your feelings get the better of you.
Knowingly or not, your emotions are getting in the way of your rational mind, and you’re making decisions that you will come to regret if you’re not careful.
If you dream of being unable to escape the car and you drown, this implies that you’re worried your feelings will override your logical mind in a terrible situation, or you won’t be able to cope with an emotionally charged situation, and the fallout will be huge.
Totaling An Expensive Car In Your Dream
Dreaming of crashing a very expensive car or a sports car mirrors your financial concerns, worries about your self-image, or your competence.
These anxieties may just be in your mind, or they may be completely justifiable, and you’ll have to determine which one your dream represents.
Dreaming Of Escaping A Crushed Car
Dreaming of climbing out of a ruined car without any assistance implies that you have everything you need to sort out something troubling in waking life. You just need to start.
If you dream of being rescued from a crashed car, this denotes that you would benefit from someone else’s advice or help. You don’t have to do everything on your own.
How To Find The Meaning Behind Your Car Crash Dream
Some dreams are saturated in so much emotion that it can be difficult to get past them in order to find the meaning behind your dream.
Maybe you’re worried about actually being in a car crash now that you’ve dreamed of it. That could be a possibility, but car crash dreams are unlikely to be a glimpse into the future. More likely, they are an embodiment of your fears, and a reflection of how you think things are going, and what you have a say in.
It pays to keep a dream journal, and that way you can remember the details of your dream without the feelings it causes getting in the way.
The smallest of details that make up your dream can determine the symbolism, so if you can record as much as you can, you’ll have a deeper insight into your dream.
Here are some things that you should reflect on after a car crash dream.
People
Think back to the inside of the car. Were you on your own? With others? Who was driving? Did someone distract you from the road?
Dreaming of people coming to help you after a car crash indicates that you need to remember you don’t have to do everything yourself. You have a fantastic support system to call upon when you need it.
If you dream of people just ogling after a car crash, and they don’t come to help you, this reflects any trust issues you may have when it comes to other people.
The Car
Probably the most important detail in your dream is the car itself. The type of vehicle you dream about can offer a deeper insight into your dream.
For example, a car that’s barely running and mostly falling apart suggests that you need to have a better plan in the future, or that you don’t have as positive an approach as you should.
Dreaming of a very expensive car such as a supercar being involved in a car crash implies that your priorities are completely wrong. You may be looking for things to improve your image or reputation, rather than working on improving your sense of purpose and self-confidence to begin with.
Did You Escape The Car?
Perhaps the most important thing to consider when trying to interpret your car crash dream is to look at whether you survived or not.
As cars in dreams represent your own drive, control and motivation, dreaming of escaping a crash points to your confidence in your abilities, and how you trust that things will work out one way or another.
If you dream of dying in a car crash, this suggests that your doubts, worries, and anxieties will hold you back from living your best life. It may reveal your own insecurities, or reflect how you don’t have a proper plan or the support system in place when things will go wrong.
Your dream may also call on you to adjust your approach to life in general. Maybe you’re missing something important in waking life.
Final Thoughts
Dreaming of a car crash can be a horrible nightmare, but that doesn’t mean that this particular dream doesn’t have some important wisdom that you need to pay attention to.
While dreams like this are filled with emotions that can cloud the symbolism, looking past them to the details of your dream will help you find the message that your dream wants you to understand, and it may help you in the near future.